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A05855 The tactiks of Ælian or art of embattailing an army after ye Grecian manner Englished & illustrated wth figures throughout: & notes vpon ye chapters of ye ordinary motions of ye phalange by I.B. The exercise military of ye English by ye order of that great generall Maurice of Nassau Prince of Orange &c Gouernor & Generall of ye vnited Prouinces is added; Tactica. English Aelianus.; Gelius, Aegidius, engraver.; Bingham, John, Captain. 1616 (1616) STC 161; ESTC S106791 215,223 256

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and serueth for the pikes onely for the Musquettiers cannot be so close in files because they must haue their Armes at liberty that is when euery one is distant from file to file a foote and a halfe and 3 foote from Ranke to Ranke And this last distance is thus commanded Close your selues throughly But it is not to be taught the Souldiers for that when necessitie shall require it they will close themselues but too much of their owne accord without command To begin therefore to doe the exercises the Company is set in the first distance to wit of 6 foote in file and ranke and thus is said These are the generall words of Command which are often to be vsed Stand right in your files Stand right in your rankes Silence To the right hand As you were To the left hand As you were To the right hand about To the left hand as you were To the left hand about To the right hand as you were You must note that when they are commanded to be as they were they must returne thither from whence they parted and if they turned to the right hand they must returne to the left and so in countermarch The headpiece The forepart The headpiece close The backe the right gantlet The left vambrace The left cuishe The brest The backe the gard the left ●●●●let The Armour of the Pikman The Gorget The Brest The Tales The Hedpiece The Back The Pike To the right double your rankes Rankes as you were To the left hand double your rankes Rankes as you were To the right hand double your files Files as you were To the left hand double your files Files as you were With halfe files to the right hand double your Rankes Halfe files as you were With halfe files to the left hand double your Rankes Halfe files as you were Files to the right hand countermarch Files to the left hand countermarch To the right hand or left at discretion as you were Rankes to the right hand countermarch Rankes to the left hand countermarch To the right or left hand as you were Close your Files to 3 foote distance Close your Rankes to 3 foote distance Vnderstand that in Closing from the outsides to the middle the Soldier is ●stand in his distance of 3 foote in file and not closer To the right hand wheele To the left hand wheele Open your Rankes backwards in your double distance to wit at 12 foote and this for a single Company Rankes as you were sc. at the first In opening Rankes or Files you must keepe them closed vntill the second Ranke or File beginning from the outsides haue taken their distances and so shall the rest remaine close vntill euery Ranke or File haue taken their distance● in order Open your files to wit to the first distance of 6 foote If you will command to close files to the right hand or left hand the outmost file standeth still and the rest close to that file For the Pike with a firme stand Advance your Pikes Order your Pikes Slope your Pikes Charge your Pikes Order your Pikes Traile your Pikes Cheeeke your Pikes More for the Pikes first with a firme stand and then marching Charge your Pikes Slope your Pikes To the right hand charge your Pikes Slope your Pikes To the left hand charge your Pikes Slope your Pikes Charge your Pikes to the Reare Slope your Pikes Order your Pikes This must be obserued charging your Pikes with a firme stand to set the right foote behind and charging the Pikes marching to set the left foote before For the Musquet THe Postures in his Excellencies Booke are to be obserued but in exercisin● you must onely vse these three termes of direction Make ready Present Giue fire Your Musquettiers must obserue in all their motions to turne to the right hand and that they carry the mouth of their peeces high aswell when they are shouldred as in pruning and also when they hold their pannes garded and come vp to giue fire In advancing towards an Enemy when they doe not skirmish loose and disbanded they must giue fire by Rankes after this manner Two Rankes must alwaies make ready together and aduance ten paces forward before the body at which distance a Sergeant or when the body is great some other officer must stand to whom the Musquettiers are to come vp before they present and giue fire first the firstranke And whilest the first giues fire the second Ranke keepe their Musquets close to their Rests and their pannes garded and assoone as the first are fallen away the second presently present and giue fire and fall after them Now assoone as the first two Rankes doe moue from their places in the front The two Rankes next them must vnshoulder their Musquets and make ready so as they may aduance forward ten paces as before assoone as euer the two first rankes are fallen away and are to doe in all points as the former And all the other Rankes through the whole diuision must doe the same by twoes one after another A manner there is to giue fire retyring from an Enemy which is performed after this sor●t As the Troope marcheth the hindermost ranke of all keeping still with the Troope is to make ready and being ready the souldiers in that ranke turne altogether to the right hand and giue fire marching presently away a good round pace to the front and there place themselues in ranke together iust before the front As soone as the first ranke turne to giue fire the ranke next makes ready and doth as the former and so the rest We giue fire by the flanks thus The vppermost file next the Enemy must be commanded to make ready keeping still along with the body till such time as they be ready and then they turne to the right or left hand according to the sight of their enemies either vpon the right or left flanke and giue fire altogether When they haue discharged they stirre not but keepe their ground and charge their Peeces againe in the same place they stand Now as soone as the foresaid file doth turne to giue fire the vttermost next it makes ready alwaies keeping along with the Troope till the Bringer-vp be past a little beyond the Leader of that file that gaue fire last and then the whole file must turne and giue fire and doe in all points as the first did and so the rest one after the other A Sergeant or if the Troope be great some other better qualified Officer must stand at the head of the first file and assoone as the second file hath giuen fire and hath charged he is to lead forward the first file vp to the second file and so to the rest one after another till he hath gathered vp againe the whole wing and then he is to ioyne them againe in equall front with the pikes Last of all the Troope or whole wing of Musquettiers makes ready altogether and
he taketh vp 2 cubits 3 In Constipation or shutting one cubit Densation then or closing is when we draw wide distances close together and by side-men and followers that is both in length and depth gather vp the bodie of the Phalange so notwithstanding that the souldier yet hath libertie to moue and turne about Constipation or shutting is when the Phalange by side-men gathereth it selfe yet closer together then in Densation so that by reason of the nearenesse there is left no Declination or turning of faces either to the right or left hand The vse of Closing is when the Generall leadeth the Phalange against the enemy Of Shutting when he would haue it stand fast and as it were locked vp and serred to receiue the charge of the enemy Seeing then there are 1024 File-leaders in the front of the Phalange it is plaine that 4 in their ordinary array they take vp in length 4096 Cubits 5 that is ten furlongs and ninetie six cubits In Closing fiue furlongs and forty eight cubits In Shutting two furlongs a halfe and fower and twenty cubits Notes AFter Souldiers are armed and distributed into bodies military the next care is to be had of their Mouing For as a man let him be neuer so well proportioned and strong if he pace disorderly and either set too great strides or reele here and there or so mince and tread out his steps as if his leggs were bound together groweth hereby deformed and not onely loseth his comelinesse but his actiuitie withall and possibility to performe any thing by strength So is it of an Armie that hath either too great distances or is thronged vp or pestred too close together Too much thronging bindeth as it were the souldiers hands and taketh away the vse of his weapons as on the other side falling one loose from another and standing or mouing too farre asunder maketh the Battaile weake and disiointed and subiect to the enemies entry and easie to be broken The meane betwixt both was brought in by King Philip King of Macedonia who first constituted and raised the Macedonian Phalange and invented the distances of opening and closing the same imitating the serring of Targets called Synaspismos practised by the old Heroes at Troy Out of his discipline sprung the distances mentioned here by Aelian which are of three sorts The first are large distances of 1 Foure Cubits Which amount to six foote For a Cubit conteineth a foote and a ha●fe This distance was vsed in marching or else in solemne pompes and shewes And the souldier hauing a pike of 14 Cubits or 21 long whereof one halfe lay forward on his shoulder and the other halfe backward it was requisite he should haue a reasonable large distance both in file and ranke to the end that in turning this way or that Cap. 11. The first distance ordnary 6 foote in file asmuch in ranck The Reare The second distance called Closing foote in file asmuch in ranck The third distance called or serring foote in file shoulder to shoulder in rank way or that way or mouing out of his place for no man in his marche can alwaies hold his ranke he offended not his next neighbours therewith This distance our exercise at this day calleth open order The next distance is of Two Cubits Or three foote The name of it in Greeke is Pycnosis that is thickning In Leo it is called Sphinxis knitting together in our moderne exercise Order And it is when from the distance of 6 foote we draw our Phalange both by file and ranke so close that the souldiers stand but 3 foote one from an other euery way This distance is vsed when the Army approcheth neare to the enemy and onely commeth not to charge that it may be ready to shut and locke it selfe for the charge which is performed in the last distance of One Cubit A foote and a halfe This is called Synaspismos ioyning Target to Target For as I before shewed the pikemen of the Macedonians vsed also Targets with their pikes and in charging the enemy closed so neare in front that their owne Targets touched one another This kind of fight the Aegiptians vsed in Xenophon which he calleth locking together of Targets and by meanes therof had the advantage against the Persians The Parthian horse likewise comming to charge Crassus with their staues After they perceiued the depth of the locking of Targets and the setlednesse and stedfastnes of the Roman Phalange they retired and durst not come to hands with them And Diodorus Siculus writes that Alexander besieging the City of Halicarnassus there was in the City and in seruice of Darius one Ephialtes an Athenian a man of great valour and strength of body He by the permission of Memnon Generall of Darius Armie determined to make a saly And taking to him 2000 mercenarie souldiers all chosen men and giuing brands flaming with fire to one halfe and reseruing the rest for fight he opened the gates and fell out throwing fire vpon the engines of battery which soone caught a mighty flame And marshalling the rest into a thicke and deepe Phalange himselfe led on and was the first that fell on the Macedonians cōming to aide and to quench the fire Alexander aduertised hereof speeded to the medley ordered first the Macedonians in front after them other choice men for seconds and in the third place men of extraordinarie account for their prowesse himselfe leading them on sustained the enemy which seemed vnresistible and sent others to slake and put out the fire and to preserue the Engines The fight was hot and albeit the Macedonians found meanes to quench the fire yet had Ephialtes the better in the fight who both himselfe killed many with his owne hands and the towers from the walls furnished with many Catapelts annoyed greeuously the Macedonians In so much that some falling in the place other-some forsaking their ground by reason of the number of Engine Darts that fell thicke amongst them Alexander himselfe was reduced to extremitie Here the old souldiers of the Macedonians although otherwise freed from such seruice in regard of their age hauing of a long time followed the warres with King Philip and gained many a battaile were by this occasion tolled out to succour and as they excelled the yonger sort in greatnes of spirit and military experience so meeting with the run-a-waies they bitterly reuiled and taunted them for their cowardice Then serring themselues close and ioyning their Targets together they repressed and held the enemy short who now seemed to haue the victory in his hands Finally killing Ephialtes and many other they droue the rest into the City A memorable seruice of the vse of Targets and of the Synaspisme of the Macedonians which was not vsed but when they either gaue vpon or receiued the charge of the enemy And the Targets so knit together serued for a wall as it were to the whole Phalange and
the first ranke without advancing giues fire in the place they stand in and speedily as may be yet orderly falls away all the rankes doing the same successiuely one after another Thus much of the armes and exercise of the foote The horse ensue The order and discipline holden in Horse-troopes or in the Cavalry THE Caualry hath for his Cheife the Generall the Lieutenant Generall and the Comissary generall To the Cavalry there is a Quarter-master generall and a Prouost generall belonging the Iustice resorteth to the Councell generall of warre of the Army The Cavalry is of two sorts Har quebusiers and Curassiers The first haue for defensiue armes the Curace pistoll proofe and a light head-peece For offensiue the Carbine of 3 foote 3 inches length and the bore of 20 bullets in the pound and Pistolls like vnto the Curassiers The Curassiers haue for defensiue Armes a compleat armour the Curace pistoll proofe For offen siue two pistolls hauing the barrell of 26 inches in length and the bore of 36 bullets in the pound See the figure of Armes For the order in Regiments the 40 Companies entertained by the States doe make eleuen Regiments The Regiment of the Generall hath alwaies the Vantgard the others alternatiuely and by turnes and he that hath it this day the next day after hath the Reare the rest following in the same sort Those which command the Regiments are called Coronells The Regiments are compounded of 3 or 4 Companies of 3 at the least and the Coronells Company marcheth alwaies on the left wing of the Regiment The Captaines receiue orders from their Coronells as these from the Commissary Generall All the Companies are diuided in 3 equall parts which are called Squadrons and distributed to the three chiefe officers Captaine Cornett and Lieutenant hauing each of them adioyned an old Souldier which they doe know to bee of more desert called a Corporall Marching in the field euery Officer marcheth at the head of his Squadron the Lieutenant excepted which marcheth behind with the Quartermaster and the third Corporall at the head of the Lieutenants Squadron The Companies are diuided by files and rankes the file 5 deepe and no more how strong soeuer the Company be They obserue that in marching in battaile they must be close together and to doe the Motions there must be 6 foote distance from one Horseman to another The Companies being in battaile there must be 25 paces distance left between euery Company and 50 betwixt euery Regiment at the least The exercise of Armes for the Cavalry To open the Squadron you must first open the rankes and after the files To close the Squadron you must first close the files and after the rankes There be two sorts of distances betwixt the files the one close and the other open In the Close there must be no distance or intervalls betwixt the files to the open there must be 6 foote betwixt euery file Likewise there must be two sorts of distances betwixt the rankes the Close which must be without intervall or streete and the Open which must be six foote distance In a march it must be vnderstood that the rankes must neuer be more opened then the open distance of 6 foote And to the end that the Troope may march in good order and obserue well their distance betwixt the rankes without that the last may be forced to runne or goe to fast there must be heed taken that so soone as the first rankes begin to march all the Troope and the Reare also at one time march The words of Command are Open your Rankes Open your files Stand right in your rankes Stand right in your files To the right hand As you were So the left hand As you were To the right hand about To the left hand as you were To the left hand about To the right hand as you were Files to the right hand countermarch Files to the left hand countermarch To the right or left hand as you were Rankes to the right hand countermarch Rankes to the left hand countermarch Close your files Close your rankes To the right hand wheele To the left hand wheele Faults escaped in the Booke PAg. 2. in the margent beneath for Spartionem read Spartianus Pag. 9 lin 20. for was were lin 31. for Bircanna Bircenna and in the marg lin 40. for Dipnoseph Dipnosoph pag. 10. lin 26. in marg for Adrian Arrian p. 14. l. 11. in marg for Dipnoseph Dipnosoph p. 15 l. 18. for Marsilians Massilians p 17. l. 47. for pluimes Plumes p. 18. l 49 for conceited by conceitedly p. 20. l. 45. for Thureo Thureoi lin 48. dele full p. 22. l. for Those These l. 11. for Ochanes Ochane l. 32. dele Then p. 23. l. 12. for Divarates Divarates p. 27. l. for immitation imitation p. 2● l. 11. for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 l. 17. dele That p. 29. l. 4. for quiety quietly l. 25. slinges slingers p. 30. l. 35. in marg Analast Analact p. 31. l. 13. put in it p. 32. l 29. 33. for bellys bellies p. 33. l. 35. 38. 41. for Sotridas Soteridas p 34 l. 3. for forceble forcible l 19. Popana Popana 29. vnfailable vnfailible l. 42 dele once for all p. 35. l. 42. reduct reduce p 36. l. 40. in marg de bett de bell p. 39. l. 17. strok strooke p. 44. l. 12. in marg Enometis Enom●tis 24. Enomotarches Enomotarches 31. 33. Prucestes Peucestes lin 47. after Patricius a full point p. 49. l. 27. Bathera Batheia 40 liptismos leptismos p. 50 l. 14. after supported a full point 34. easily easily p. 53 l. 6. Prataxis Protaxis pag. 55. l. 35. for hauing giuing pag. 56. l. 18. sure safe lin 32 37. Ansetaus Ansetaus 41. Then They. 46. a full point after through p. 57. l. 31. betwixt the and examples put former p. 58. l. 2. Pharnabarus Pharnabazus l. 18. after M●nomachy a full point 37. the ●hem 48. after number a full point p 59. l. 6. speedely speedily 36. motion motions 39. 40. your you 41. after forme a full point p 60 l. 16. fi●th fifth 18. after may be set the figure 2. 28. after sort dele as and for 2 read 4. p. 61. l. 18. never neither p. 62. l. 23. after Lydians a full point p. 63. l. 15. for 500 5000. lin 22. for 800 8000. p 66. l. 26. for 500 400. lin 25. read when it is greatest in Xenophon hath no more then 100. pag. 68. l. 35. besides to preter●it p. 70. l. 40. fight read marching p. 72. l. 1. after Sunne set read and. l. 37. for of p. 75. l. 19. 27. Lochagie Lochagi l. 32. Pempedarches Pempadarchs p. 78. l. 2. 4. of on p. 79. l. 11. for fourth third p. 80. l. 29. insert after an Army that c. ●oreth disorderly lin 47 after 21. insert foote pag. 82. lin Target Targets lin 30. for 6130. read 6144. pag 84. l. 14. Philopomen Philopoemen p. 87. l. 36. Quintus Quintius